15 Wattbike Training Benefits

Indoor Doesn’t Get Better Than Wattbike

Using Wattbikes at the La Lucia Virgin Active gym has been a real pleasure and I’m not the only one who thinks so. The Bikes are popular. So popular that the gym upgraded from three Wattbikes in the squash court corridor to a dedicated Wattbike studio with nine bikes, two TV’s and fans.

All the bike computers have the most recent software and automatically connect to your favorite workout tracking site, that is, if you use the right heart rate monitor and a smart phone. I use the Polar H7 HRM but I’ve been told the Wahoo bluetooth HRM works as well.

It’s brilliant! Once your session is completed, the data is saved in real time and that is only one of the many benefits.

The Positives

Following are eleven quick benefits to training on a Wattbike indoor trainer:

No wind, no rain, no sunburn, no intense heat, no debris, no potholes, no road traffic, no punctures, no mechanical failures, no crashes and a serious amount of training data.

And two more benefits for good measure.

If you’re a member at a gym, it’s also convenient and inexpensive. You don’t have to buy the bike or maintain it. Just ride!

And one more.

There’s also the possibility of organizing group challenges to keep you and your fellow riders motivated.

And finally.

Lifestyle insurance programs, like Vitality, reimburse some or all of your gym fees if you maintain your training levels. On a Wattbike, it’s easy. Vitality awards 300 points for every 30 minute workout at an average heart rate of 80% of your max.

The Negatives

In spite of all the positives, it’s only fair to mention a few of the negatives, albeit with one qualification. The Wattbike has more positives and fewer negatives than any of the competitors. Of all the indoor trainers, none mimic the road as closely as the Wattbike or give as much feedback.

The negatives are:

No coasting, no drafting, no talking, no team building, no experience riding in a bunch, no socializing over coffee at the end and indoor trainers give a different sensation entirely. It’s boring!

45 minutes indoors feels like two hours on the road. It doesn’t take any longer but it feels like it does. You quickly become bored.

That’s true of all indoor trainers.

But Wattbike comes to the rescue. To reduce the boredom, Wattbike computers have onboard training sessions to follow for every level of cycling ability.

Or you can input preferred training sessions into a smart phone app like Seconds Pro (iOS or Android) and let the app guide you as you ride. It’s more mentally occupying than just riding. Reduces boredom.

As your only training tool, a Wattbike wouldn’t work. But to augment on-road training it’s brilliant!

You can find a list of Virgin Active Gyms with Wattbikes here. If your gym doesn’t have one, make some noise. Write the management.

If you’re in Durban and you want a club to ride with, check out East Coast Cycling Club. Members receive weekly newsletters with information on training rides and upcoming races. Club members represent a wide range of abilities, are friendly and supportive.

The fees are more than reasonable and they have the best looking club kit in Durban, maybe South Africa. Contact them today!